163.62 WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY.
(a) The City of Youngstown requires all officers and employees to observe the highest standard of professionalism and ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All officers and employees of the City of Youngstown ("City") must comply with all City policies, fulfill their duties and responsibilities with honesty and integrity, and comply with all ordinances and state and federal laws and regulations.
(b) The City of Youngstown officers and employees have the responsibility to report suspected violations of all City policies, ordinances, state and federal laws and regulations. Prior to reporting potential violations, officers and employees shall have a good faith belief that potential violations have occurred. Anyone reporting a violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing that the information disclosed indicates a violation.
(c) The City is committed to protecting individuals who make good faith reports of suspected or actual wrongful conduct or who refuse to partake in wrongful conduct. This policy is intended to encourage and enable officers and employees to report suspected violations without any adverse employment consequences. Officers and employees of the City are prohibited from taking retaliatory action against an employee that has reported in good faith potential violations of the law or City policies. Retaliatory action includes but is not limited to demotion, failure to promote, harassment, reduction in job duties, and imposition of unwarranted discipline. Any officer or employee who retaliates against someone for reporting a violation in good faith is subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
(d) Officers and employees should promptly notify the employee's supervisor when the employee becomes aware that a suspected violation has occurred. If any employee is not comfortable talking with his or her supervisor, or if after talking with his or her supervisor, the employee continues to have reasonable grounds to believe a violation has occurred that is not being adequately addressed, the employee shall report the violation to the Human Resources Manager or the City of Youngstown Law Director, who shall then be responsible for directing the complaint to the appropriate department.
(e) Once reported, the complaining officer or employee shall then file with the employee's supervisor, the Human Resources Manager and/or the City Law Director, a written report that provides sufficient detail to identify and describe the violation. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action taken if warranted by such investigation.
(f) To the extent possible, reports of violation, and investigation pertaining to such violations, shall be kept confidential consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation. Interference with an investigation by disclosure of reports of violations to individuals not involved in the investigation will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense and may result in discipline up to and including termination. Likewise, any allegations that prove to be false, and that prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly, will be viewed as a serious offense requiring disciplinary action up to and including termination.
(g) All City of Youngstown officers and employees must read the Whistleblower Policy, agree to adhere to its requirement and agree not to retaliate against any employee who has reported wrongful conduct in accordance with the Whistleblower Policy.
(Ord. 15-10. Passed 2-4-15.)